Water issues coming to the forefront around world

How many people know that drought was a major factor in setting off the Syrian civil war? Or that the threat posed by climate change could lead to catastrophic clashes in Asia?

"Drought is one of the main drivers of the Syrian civil war," Paul Sullivan, a professor at the National Defense University, told members of the Association of Opinion Journalists during their recent convention in Newport, R.I. James Fallows elaborated in an Atlantic article:

"Hundreds of thousands of Syria's farmers ? fled to the cities in search of almost non-existent jobs. Formerly prosperous farmers were lucky to get jobs as hawkers or street sweepers. And in the desperation of the times, hostilities erupted among groups that were competing just to survive."

Exacerbating the problems of rising populations and limited water in the Middle East and North Africa are wasteful practices. "The countries have to cut back on their use of water, reuse water, rethink how they are using their water for agriculture," Sullivan said.

Then there is the potential of global warming to cause conflicts farther east. If the Himalayan icecap melts, the result could disrupt the water supplies of Pakistan, India and much of China, Vice Adm. (Ret.) Lee Gunn told AOJ. Those nations, all of which have nuclear weapons, have had recurring border conflicts.

"Climate change is a threat multiplier," he said.

Sea level rise poses its own dangers. "In the past, people were nomads, so they could pick up and move," Gunn said. "Now, we are heavily invested on the coasts." Among other things, the runway of the U.S. air base on Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean is only three feet above sea level.

The barriers to effective action are largely political, not technical. We know the earth is warming and we know human activity is part of the reason. But governments do not always act on the basis of facts.

"What you have in Washington, D.C. is an act of war against ? scientific consensus," Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen's energy program, said. "We're treating science as a special interest in the national debate," said Andy Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Right here in North Carolina, the General Assembly has ordered scientists not to use projections in determining sea-level policies, despite the potentially catastrophic effect on the Outer Banks.

And then there are parochial politics. "What's keeping the United States from developing a (national water) policy? It's political," said Gerald Galloway, research professor at the Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering at the University of Maryland. He urged writers to ask, "How would a national water policy help your area?"

He said the Mississippi River has suffered flooding due to disjointed legislation and management of reservoirs on the Missouri River. Then, when the Mississippi was dangerously low, managers could not divert water from the Missouri due to piecemeal legislation and lack of policy.

How do you get consensus on water policy in a nation that prides itself on decentralization? How do you get recognition of facts in a Congress where more than half the members are on record questioning whether climate change is real or whether human activity plays a role?

We can't argue with Slocum, who said, "The fact that facts are no longer central to political conversations is outrageous."

Beyond our borders, how do you get nations that have hovered at the brink of war for decades to agree on common water policies, even when those policies clearly benefit all involved?

These are questions we had better answer quickly.

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Water issues coming to the forefront around world

How many people know that drought was a major factor in setting off the Syrian civil war? Or that the threat posed by climate change could lead to catastrophic clashes in Asia?